| Lake Darling Dam | |
|---|---|
 Releasing flow of 22,000 cu ft/s (620 m3/s) on June 27 during 2011 Souris River flood. | |
  Location in the United States  Location in North Dakota | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Ward County, North Dakota, northwest of Minot |
| Coordinates | 48°27′27″N 101°35′00″W / 48.45750°N 101.58333°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1936 |
| Owner(s) | United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, earthen |
| Impounds | Souris River |
| Height | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Length | 3,300 ft (1,000 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Darling |
| Total capacity | 110,000 acre⋅ft (135,683,000 m3) |
| Catchment area | 9,450 sq mi (24,500 km2) |
| Surface area | 15.6 sq mi (40.4 km2) |
| Maximum water depth | 26 ft (8 m)[1] |
| Normal elevation | 1,598 feet (487 m) (spillway) |
Lake Darling Dam is an earthen embankment dam on the Souris River in the west north central United States, located twenty miles (30 km) northwest of Minot in Ward County, North Dakota. The dam began impounding water in April 1936 and was completed July of that year; it was created for the purposes of water storage and conservation.[2]
It is part of the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge and is owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The dam and lake are named after Jay N. "Ding" Darling, the first director of the Bureau of Biological Survey.[3] Although the dam is located in Ward County, Lake Darling is almost entirely located in Renville County, to its north.
The Fish and Wildlife Service owns and operates the dam during normal conditions. During flood conditions operational control is turned over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers according to a 1989 memorandum of understanding.[4] During the 2011 Souris River flood, the dam's reservoir reached maximum levels and releases of 7,500 cu ft/s (210 m3/s) in early June, contributing to flooding downstream.[5][6] By June 26, releases had reached 24,000 cu ft/s (680 m3/s) and were incrementally reduced thereafter.[7]
- ^ "Lake Water Quality Assessment for Lake Darling Renville and Ward Counties, North Dakota" (PDF). North Dakota Department of Health Division of Water Quality. March 2006. p. 4. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "Red River of The North Basin". U.S. Geological Service. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge". Renville County, North Dakota. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "Western Flood Control Sites – North Dakota: Lake Ashtabula, Homme Lake, Souris River". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ Boughton, Kevin (6 June 2011). "Souris to Rise Over the Weekend". KFYR-TV. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "Corps increases outflow from Lake Darling Dam". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 8 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ Fundingsland, Kim. "1,561.72: Souris crest sets record four feet higher". Minot Daily News. Retrieved 28 June 2011.